Yvan Richard

He moved from France to New Zealand in 2002 to study for a PhD at Massey University on habitat fragmentation and bird population dynamics.

Yvan started at Dragonfly in 2010 and has worked extensively on the analysis of seabird bycatch in fisheries.

“I developed a passion for ecology when I was working on the black-legged kittiwake with some amazing characters doing both fieldwork in unique places and dealing with interesting research questions. My mentors at university and then the National Museum of Natural History in Paris were a big influence on me.

Yvan completed his undergraduate study at the University Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris. His PhD and two-year post-doc at Massey University in Palmerston North, where he was involved in Marsden-funded projects using robins as a model for studying habitat fragmentation. He gained experience with modern analysis techniques such as Bayesian analysis, machine learning, GIS, habitat suitability models, and capture-recapture models.

“I've always loved spending time in the field, whether its on the cliffs of Brittany in France, the Norwegian arctic or the forests here in New Zealand. I also enjoy the intellectual challenge of data analysis, and coming up with a better understanding and drawing out meaningful stories.

“I enjoy the lifestyle in New Zealand and the opportunity to do innovative things and move forward here. The job at Dragonfly has been full of challenge, but I feel I'm doing something very useful. There's a great atmosphere here and we have plenty of fun in the team. It's the best job.”

Some of Yvan's work from Massey University can be found on these pages:

Richard, Y., Abraham, E. R., & Filippi, D. (2011). Assessment of the risk to seabird populations from New Zealand commercial fisheries. Final Research Report for research projects IPA2009-19 and IPA2009-20. (Unpublished report held by Ministry of Fisheries, Wellington.). 66 pages.